“Shoes upon the table
And a spiders been killed
Someone broke the looking glass
There’s a full moon shining
And the salt’s been spilled
You’re walking on pavement cracks
Don’t know what’s gonna come to pass
Now you know the devils got your number
You know he’s gonna find you
You know his right behind you
He staring through your windows
He’s creeping down the hall”
Every line in this verse is an example of a well known superstition. I believe that the verse serves not only as a torment for the women but also as a reminder to us of the heartbreaking ending that is to follow, additionally I believe that if the narrator’s constant references to superstition were not scripted, it would not be clear to the audience just how much it plays a part in the musical.
In a way I think that this verse is an example of marking the moment. Marking the moment which can be used as both a dramatic device and explorative strategy is changing the style of theatre or performance in the middle of a piece to emphasise a point or feeling that may be important to the understanding of that piece. This can be done in many ways by simply repeating a movement or a line to doing a section of the piece in dance or slow motion. In this case it was done using narration and the point to emphasise; the happenings of the previous scene or to provoke the events of the following scene. For example the verse was sung after Mrs Lyons’ (the mother to which one of the twins were given) prophecy that ‘if either twin learns they were one of a pair ’ they will both die.
Another theme apparent in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is class and social hierarchy. Mickey and Eddie’s friendship is based on numerous things amongst which is their infatuation with each other. They have both been brought up by different parents, they have lived different lifestyles, and they have experienced different qualities of life.
Though difference in class is evident between the two boys, I think it is best shown by the two mothers:
In act two we see Mrs Johnstone allow her two sons to view the ‘Swedish Au Pairs’ film. We know that if Mrs Lyons had been in the same situation there would have been a different outcome. From this one section we see the types of parents that they are and the general morals they live by, this helps the audience understand the twins a lot more. Mrs Johnstone is seen as a mother who appreciates that at different points in a child’s life they are going to be curious about different things, she is seen as an approachable kind of mother. In comparison Mrs Lyons is portrayed as an over protective mother, who relies on rules and gives no room for ‘inappropriate’ curiosity.
The tormenting narrator describes Mrs Johnstone as “the mother, so cruel” in the beginning of the play, but even though we see her give her baby away in act one, we do not see Mrs Johnstone as a spiteful character instead we seem to sympathise with her situation. We watch her throughout the play dealing with her many children, we see her deal with teenage rebellion and crime with the tenderness and love that every mother should have. Not only does this show the loving mother that Mrs Johnstone so obviously is but it also shows that it is not money or a high class background that are the key to happiness. In a particular scene between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone we are shown what both women value most in life.
Mrs Lyons: Thousands… I’m talking about, thousands if you want it, and think what you could do with money like that.
Mrs Johnstone: I’d spend it. I’d buy more junk and trash; that’s all. I don’t want your money. I’ve made a life here. It’s not much of one maybe, but I made it.
This scene shows Mrs Lyons in a bad light, her character is portrayed as ignorant, she thinks so little of Mrs Johnstone and the way she lives, she believes that money is the solution to Mrs Johnstone’s problems. Mrs Johnstone of course refuses this bribe as it is happiness and the well being of her children that she yearns for and not for money. This is shown also through makeup the make up of Mrs Johnstone is very warm pink cheeks with colour to her lips where as the makeup of Mrs Lyons is very pale with not much colour, that gives her almost a dead like appearance that portrays the death of emotion within her and her ever rising neurotic obsession.
The costume throughout the play represent not the personality of the woman but the social differences, Mrs Johnstone wearing a house coat for the duration of the musical, shows that she is working in the house and caring for her children while struggling to make ends meet, Mrs Lyons who wears formal attire throughout, confirms that she is most definitely not working in the house, and is at ease financially, with her husband bringing food to the table and her left do as she pleases. Another aspect of theatre that supported these characteristics is set, the set in Mrs Lyons house is prim and proper giving the house and immaculate feel about it; in fact the house is shown so pristine that it is seen as cold and empty. In harsh contrast the house of the Johnstone’s is filled with life noise and children, the house though not to the same standards of the Johnstone’s is seen as warm and a great deal more inviting.
The use of voice throughout the production stressed the difference between social classes clearly and without possibility of mistake. Eddie and the Lyons family are well spoken, what one would expect of a higher class family, this suggests a good upbringing with a good education and maybe if elocution tutoring. Mickey and the Johnstone's however, share a strong Liverpudlian accent which suggests lack of a “proper” education, and breathes a hint of commonness upon the family.
Fate and destiny, the play is saturated with the theme of fate and destiny. We are shown at the opening of the production the fate of the boys, and we watch as they’re destiny unfolds. Symbolism is very apparent through this theme; as the boys are children we see them innocently engage in a toy gun fight. Considering the final fatal conclusion of which the audience are already aware a chilling sense of irony is given, an alternative example of symbolism is Mrs Johnstone's constant reference to Marilyn Monroe. Her regular references of the 1950’s sex icon are used to symbolise countless things from love and divorce to the death of her twin sons. The play though humorous at certain points is none-the-less a tragedy and at points in the second half one must struggle to remember it, in fact I found myself so caught up in the happenings at the start of act two, that I who had studied the play for so long forgot it was a tragedy and it was only when the narrator appeared ready to taunt Mrs Lyons before she attempted to kill Mrs Johnstone was I reminded of the tragic ending that was still yet to come. They ending moved me and the people around me; it was a wonderful scene, which together with sound, lighting and the sincere performance that came from every actor on the Phoenix Theatre stage drove me to tears.
As Mrs Lyon’s prophecy comes true and the brothers die less then a second between each other, dim blue lighting sets the mood of the scene and also the eeriness. Music in the background of the scene adds to the emotion and then builds up to support the final heart-rending song of ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. Maureen Nolen, the actress that plays the role of Mrs Johnstone. As she sings that last song the pain in her eyes and voice are as real as the tears of the audience sitting watching her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Blood Brothers. I had come expecting something magnificent and still what I had it mind did not live up to the performance that I witnessed that day. The acting blew me away and I am sure that I speak for everyone that was present in the theatre that day when I say it is a performance that will not be forgotten in a hurry.
